The World Heritage Convention is one of the most successful international instruments to protect the most extraordinary natural places on the planet, characterized by their natural beauty or outstanding ...
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Over the past few years, the security situation at the W-Arly-Pendjari Complex has become a major concern as several armed groups have been operating in the region, causing the evacuation of management staff in some ...
Corporate sector and the World Heritage ‘no-go’ commitment
Across the extractives, finance, insurance and hydropower sectors, among others, major public and private companies and industry associations have committed to protect UNESCO World Heritage sites. They have often ...
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World Heritage and Biodiversity
Biological diversity underpins ecosystem functioning and the provision of ecosystem services essential for human well-being. World Heritage properties are the most outstanding places on the planet and constitute a ...
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The Tubbataha Reef Marine Park covers 96.828 ha, including the North and South Atolls. It is a unique example of an atoll reef with a very high density of marine species; the North Islet serving as a nesting site ...
World Heritage Marine Programme
50 flagship marine protected areas of Outstanding Universal Value: Beacons of Hope In a Changing Ocean
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The Arctic Ocean urgently needs protection as melting sea ice is opening up previously inaccessible areas to activities such as shipping, bottom trawl fishing and oil exploration, according to a scientific report ...
Facts & Figures: The Importance of UNESCO World Heritage Marine Sites for Global Biodiversity
The importance of UNESCO World Heritage Marine Sites for Global Biodiversity Facts & Figures © Adam Mitchell / Seychelles Island Foundation From the largest tropical seabird rookery to the ...
Initiative on Heritage of Religious Interest
There exist a great variety of religious and sacred sites that are representative of the different cultures and traditions of the world. Approximately 20 percent of the properties inscribed on the World Heritage ...
Evaluation Mission of the Air and Ténéré Natural Reserves
Objectives The Air and Ténéré Natural Reserves were inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1991 and on the List of World Heritage in Danger in 1992, in particular because of the impact of armed conflict. This ...
UNESCO World Heritage Forests © David Geldhof / Yosemite National Park Forests are some of the most biodiversity-rich habitats on Earth. They play a crucial role in climate regulation by ...
Saving nature and livelihoods: Belize
The Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System (BBRRS) won its place on the World Heritage List in 1996 as an outstanding natural system, consisting of the largest barrier reef in the northern hemisphere, offshore atolls, ...
Engaging Local Communities in the Stewardship of World Heritage (COMPACT)
COMPACT Engaging Local Communities in the Stewardship of World Heritage © Local communities and indigenous peoples are, and have been for centuries, the custodians of many World Heritage ...
Central Africa World Heritage Forest Initiative (CAWHFI)
Covering an area estimated at 1.62 million km2, the forests of Central Africa are home to vital biodiversity for the planet and play a central role in climate regulation and carbon sequestration.
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World Heritage – Pacific 2009 Programme
Despite its extraordinary cultural and biological diversity and richness, the Pacific is the most under-represented sub-region on the World Heritage List. To redress this imbalance, World Heritage Global Strategy ...
Engaging local communities in the conservation of the Maloti-Drakensberg Park World Heritage site
Local communities and indigenous peoples are, and have been for centuries, the custodians of many World Heritage sites. Launched in the year 2000, the Community Management for Protected Areas Conservation (COMPACT) ...
World Heritage Biodiversity Programme for India (WHBPI)
Will contribute resources towards site management, capacity building, alternative livelihoods for communities, research and fundraising activities. Objectives In April 2004, the World Heritage Centre entered into ...
Biodiversity Conservation in Regions of Armed Conflict: Protecting World Heritage in the Democratic Republic of the Congo Parc national des Virunga © Kim S. Gjerstad A program aimed at preserving ...
Enhancing our Heritage- Monitoring and managing for success in World Natural Heritage sites
Enhancing Our Heritage - Monitoring and Managing for Success in World Natural Heritage Sites was a seven-year UNESCO/IUCN project funded by the United Nations Foundation. The project commenced in 2001 and operated ...
World Heritage Centre’s Natural Heritage Strategy
In October 2006 the World Heritage Centre published the UNESCO World Heritage Centre's Natural Heritage Strategy, which was endorsed by the World Heritage Committee. The strategy outlines the guiding principles, ...